Potato-harvesting machine



(No Mo del.) 2 Sheets-S-het 1.

A. T. DOWDEN.

POTATO HARVESTING MACHINE. No. 357,119. Patented Feb. 1, 1887.

v I Mex/85x1" V u Model.) 2 Shets -She'et 2. A. T. DOWDEN. POTATOHARVESTING MACHINE.

No. 357,119. Patented Feb. 1; 1887.:

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PATENT ASHFORD T. DOVDEN, OF PRAIRIE CITY, IOW'A.

POTATO-HARVESTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,119, dated February1, 1887,

Application filedAugust 17, 1885. Serial No. 174,563. (No model.)

To (rZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ASHFORD T. DowDEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Prairie City, in the county of Jasper and State ofIowa, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Potato-HarvestingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a potato-harvesting machineinvented by me, and for which I have received Letters Patent of theUnited States numbered 316,015, and dated April 21, 1885; and itconsists in the construction and combination of devices, as hereinafterset forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a top view of the machine; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section of same, and Figs. 3 and 4 are detailed views ofthe plow and plowframe.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

To the frame A'is fixed the axle B, upon which turn the drive-wheels O0, having the gear-wheels D D cast upon or fixed to them. Thegear-wheels D D engage the pinions FF, which are loosely mounted on theshaft G.

The clutches H H are feathered to the shaft G.

and are kept in contact with the pinions F F by spiral springs, asshown. These clutches are so constructed that when the machine advancesthe shaft G will revolve; but when it is moved backward the shaft G.will remain stationary. These clutches. may be thrown out of gear withthe pinions F F by means of levers I I, which are forked at the ends toengage grooves on the clutches. They are pivoted to the frame-and extendforward on top of it, as shown, being bent inward at right angles andturned up at the free ends over the crosspiece J. x

K K are curved arms connected at the top by means of I an arched ironbrace, L. These arms are bolted at their lower ends to the plow 0rdigger M. Two rods, N N, are attached to the axle B and pivoted to thearms K K. Two sheet-metal guards, O O, are fixed to the arms K K and tothe rods'N N, as shown. Pivoted to the rear ends of the rods N N are twobraces,

P P. At the forward ends of these braces is shaped end, as shown.

a'series of perforations, by means of which they are attached to thearms K K.

It will be seen that the angle at which the plow enters the earth may bevaried by this arrangement.

The arched brace L is flexibly connected to arms RR, attached to theshaft S. At one end of the shaft is a lever, T, which engages a toothedare, as shown. Extending inward from this lever is an arm, U, having awedge- By means of this lever the plow is adjusted for different depths.When the lever is depressed as low as it can be, the wedge-shaped end ofthe arm U separates the upturned ends of the levers I I, thusdisengaging the clutches HH.

V V are sprocket-wheels fixed to the shaft G. At the lower end of theplow-frame is a shaft,'W, carrying pulleys XX. An endless carrier, Y,passes around these pulleys and the sprocket-wheels V V, being driven bythe latter. This endless carrier is fully described and illustrated inthe Letters Patent mentioned above.

Z is a grating composed of iron rods secured between two iron bars, asshown. The lower bar has lugs projecting downward, through which passesan iron rod, the ends of which are secured to the frame of the machine.This rod forms the pivot upon which the grating is free to turn. I

A A are lugs projecting from the upper bar. When the carrier is inmotion, the transverse cleats strike these lugs, thus giving the gratingZ a vibratory motion. Below the grating is a box, B, the bottom of whichis a grating hinged at the forward end.

This lever is bent over the shaft G andpivo oted to the frame, as shown.The lower end of the lever is pivoted to the hinged bottom of the box B.The forward end of the lever is held by a hook, D, secured to the frame.By depressing the end of the lever with the foot the lever is disengagedfrom the hook D and the hinged bottom of the box B falls, dischargingthe contents upon the ground.

Upon each of the metal rods N is secured one or more adjustable idlers,F, which support the endless carrier Y. The drivers seat G is secured tothe cross-piece J. On each of the curved arms K is pivoted an idler, H,These serve to throw oil" the vines, and also to prevent the escape ofthe potatoes. The shovel M is spoonshaped, as shown, coneaved on its topsurface longitudinally and also transverse] y.

As the machine advances the potatoes, earth, and vines are scooped up bythe shovel M and deposited upon the endless carrier Y, apart of thevines being thrown off by the idlcrs H. As the carrier ascends thegreater portion of the earth drops through it, and the vines are seizedby the endless rollers at the rear of the machine. These rollers arefully r 5 described in the Letters Patent mentioned above. The potatoesand remaining earth are thrown upon the vibrating grating Z, where theremainder of the earth is shaken through. The potatoes fall from thegrating into the box 13. .Vhen the box is filled, the driver disengagesthe lever G from the hook D, allowing the bottom of the box to fall anddischarge the potatoes upon the ground.

I am aware that a suspended screen in a potato-diggcr has been vibratedby means of a tappetqvheel; but my manner of combining an endlesscarrier with a plow and a screen to elevate potatoes from the plow tothe screen, and also to vibrate the screen, is novel and advantageous.

I am also aware that idlers or rotating clearers have been combined witha plow-beam to be carried in advance of the plow to direct vines awayfrom the plow; but my manner of combining idlers direct with the opposite sides 3 5 of a plow to facilitate the elevation of vines with theground and potatoes over the center of the plow is novel andadvantageous in that the vines are delivered in rear of the plow.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure 0 by Letters Patent-- 1.The frame composed of the arms K and cross-piece L, carrying a plow, M,in combination with a carriagei'ramc, A, axle B, rods N, braces P, and arock-shaft, S, having cranks 5 or arms R, for the purposes stated.

2. The combination of the pivoted grate Z, having lugs A, a plow and anendless carrier having transverse cleats to engage the said lugs,substantially as and for the purposes set go forth.

3. The combination of the lever T, having an arm, U, and a wedgeextending at right angles from the end of said arm, the rock-shaft S,having arms R, the elbow-shaped levers I, carrying clutches H, the shaftG, having fixed gear-wheels E, and the traction-wheels G, having fixedgeanwheels D, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose ofsimultaneously elevating a plow and arresting the motion of an endlesscarrier.

ASHFORD T. DGWVDEN.

Vitnesses:

J. B. Boson, L, A. XVILLIAMs.

